Touted as one of the major destinations in the Philippines for both tourism and investment, Panglao Island in Bohol is also often considered as the best alternative to the much sought-after Boracay and is now served by the Bohol-Panglao International Airport, dubbed as “the first eco-airport in the Philippines and the country’s green gateway.”
It comes as no surprise then that Panglao has also been undergoing major development in recent years—not just in terms of accommodation options for tourists but also through projects that aim to preserve its biodiversity and place sustainability front and center.
Early this month, the Alturas Group, a leading conglomerate based in Bohol, launched Panglao Shores, an ambitious 57-hectare mixed-use project that puts emphasis on sustainability, community and local culture as its guiding principles. The company has earmarked P25 billion for the development of its initial phase.
Conceived by Panglao Bay Premiere Parks & Resorts Corp. (PBPPRC), a subsidiary of Alturas Group of Companies (AGC), the project is located on the southern coast of Panglao, just off the coast of Bohol, and is a flagship project under the Tourism Infrastructure & Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).
The low-density, mixed-use development integrates six hotels and resorts, 37,000 sqm. of retail and commercial space, over 1,000 residential units, and an international medical facility.
Hope Uy, CEO of Panglao Shores and managing director of South Palms Resort which hosted the media launch said the project also “seamlessly weaves sustainability and social responsibility into its fabric.”
“The realization was that here was an opportunity to create a generational product, inspired by Bohol, on a scale that would enable a fully-integrated community to flourish with sustainability at its core,” she pointed out.
As presented by Uy during its recent media launch, at the heart of the Panglao Shores project is the Town Square Retail Mall & Night Market, a vibrant indoor-outdoor hub of shopping, dining and entertainment with live performance areas, garden walkways and courtyards. This will be surrounded by facilities and amenities, including commercial and retail, residential villages, a convention center, co-working spaces, international hotels and resorts, and a beach club, all designed to be entwined with lush greenery and natural walkways.
International eco-building standards and materials have been incorporated throughout, such as high-performance glass, natural ventilation, and solar harvesting, along with smart technologies, electric transport, water treatment, waste reduction, and the removal of all single-use plastics. Local vendors are supported to sell crafts, native farmers and fishing communities have been built into the supply chain, children’s education is supported and coral reefs are protected.
Construction of the 188-room South Palms Resort is now ongoing in Phase 1 with completion scheduled in 2024. The project is developed with the help of Thailand-based lead consultants, C9 Hotelworks, London-based sustainability experts, XCO2, and Singapore-based master planners, SCSY.
For more information about Panglao Shores, visit https://www.panglaoshores.com.
Image credits: Panglao Shores